Colorado Ballet soared to new heights during the 2011-2012 season! We had a very successful fall with Swan Lake, which exceeded our goals and amazed everyone who had the chance to see it. Nearly 47,000 people attended our annual production of The Nutcracker, which was an incredible way to close out 2011.

This spring, we took flight with Peter Pan and dazzled audiences with high-flying adventure. Choreographer Michael Pink and composer Philip Feeney brought this timeless story to life and amazed audiences of all ages.

In March, we paid homage to our founders Lillian Covillo and Freidann Parker in Tribute. This collection three contemporary world premieres by three innovative female choreographers featured Emery LeCrone, Archetypes; Jodie Gates, Embellish; and Amy Seiwert, Traveling Alone.

We leave today to perform at the Gotham Dance Festival at The Joyce Theatre at the invitation of Jodie Gates. Gates chose two companies to show the span of her work: Colorado Ballet and BalletX from Philadelphia. We are so honored to perform Jodie Gates’ Embellish this weekend in New York.
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Our performances of this Peter Pan production have exceeded my wildest dreams. It is rare to see (and hear) an audience completely engaged and mesmerized from the first note played by the orchestra to the final pose of the dancers but that is what is happening performance after performance! There is a wonderful magic in the theater each night along with the standing ovations and yelling by children (of all ages) at the end of each performance for both of our very talented cast. If you ever get the chance be sure to treat yourself to a story that never grows old...

After a record setting Swan Lake and almost 47,000 Denverites attending our production of Nutcracker, it's now time to go "Flying." Our company premiere of Michael Pink's latest creation, Peter Pan is opening Fri Feb 24th and you have got to see this! New choreography, sets, costumes and a truly magical original score by Phillip Feeny is your ticket to Neverland.

When I first saw this production in Milwaukee, I was entranced to say the least. It wasn't hard to realize how much Denver audiences, both young and old, would enjoy this ballet. The flying scenes are spectacular, the story is straight out of the book, and with our own Colorado Ballet Orchestra in the pit along with singing by the Colorado Children's Chorale, this is going to be one of CB's best productions to date.

And maybe the best part is you, the audience, are called upon to participate in a very important moment in the ballet. I won't tell what it is, but I guarantee it will bring a tear to your eye...

When Damian Woetzel ask if we would like to have Emery LeCrone create a work on the company and perform an excerpt during The Vail International Dance Festival Upclose: Premieres program I couldn't say yes fast enough. Emery has created an amazing work for us titled Archetypes and our dancers look amazing in it. To be on the world's stage and watch the performance our company gave, served notice on just how good we are. "Although many of the other performers came with bigger names and more far-reaching reputations, the Denver-based company more than held its own..." Denver Post. You can see Archetypes in it's entirety during our "Tribute" program next March.

Speaking of The Denver Post, Kyle MacMillan wrote an interesting blog about Emery a week later saying: "Eighteen members of the company previewed a new work by her (the choreographer’s largest to date) Aug. 8 at the Vail International Dance Festival, and the smart, striking work immediately showed that she is a big talent, one with a potentially major career in front of her". It is wonderfulfor Emery to be recognized this way and yes, with her talent she will be back to work with the company again. The possibilities are endless!

Last Saturday the company gave its annual summer outdoor performance at The Arvada Center. We did Grand Pas Fantastique choreographed by our ballet mistress Sandra Brown, excerpts from our upcoming production of Swan Lake, and then Matthew Neenan's The Faraway which he choreographed on the company a year ago. I guess the standing ovation at the end of the evening says it all.

Happy July friends! I can’t believe it is already July—it seems like yesterday our dancers took their final bow after Romeo & Juliet. But alas, that was nearly four months ago and we are now well underway with preparations for the coming season. Don’t forget, we open our season with Swan Lake in October—season subscriptions are on sale now!

The dancers start back on July 19, and with that brings great energy and excitement to the building. As soon as their pointe shoes touch the floor we are in go-mode, gearing up for the Vail International Dance Festival on Aug. 8 at the Vilar Center in Beaver Creek. Emery LeCrone will be in Denver working with the dancers and I can’t wait to share some of the fun behind-the-scenes moments with you as we work toward the creation of the brand new ballet. If you have not yet purchased your tickets for Upclose: Premieres, you better do that now as this event is guaranteed to sell out. I can assure you that you don’t want to miss Colorado Ballet 8,000 feet high! Now that is ballet with altitude!

Time flies, literally! I cannot believe that I am preparing for my sixth season as Artistic Director of Colorado Ballet. It has been a whirlwind of excitement since the moment I stepped foot in the Mile High City and it just keeps getting better and better. This August we will leave our home at the Ellie and head to beautiful Summit County, Colorado for the esteemed Vail International Dance Festival, where we will perform a new work by the up and coming choreographer Emery LeCrone. This performance will be part of the Upclose: Premieres on Monday. Aug. 8. I am so excited about this performance! Along with the opportunity to perform a new work in one of the most beautiful places in the country—the majestic Rocky Mountains—it also affords us the chance to perform with some of the biggest newsmakers in dance—Christopher Wheeldon and Trey McIntyre. This will be one of those performances that will be pure fun and excitement! I can’t wait to see what Emery LeCrone has in store for Colorado Ballet.

If you missed our season announcement, be sure to check that out HERE! It will give you all the great behind-the-scenes details on our upcoming visit to the Vail International Dance Festival, along with a detailed look at our upcoming 2011-2012 season, opening in October. Did I mention that our season subscriptions are on sale now?